According to the WHO (1994)¹, the field of “environmental health” encompasses virtually the entire scope of public health. It includes aspects of human health—such as overall quality of life and quality of life at work—that are determined by the physical, chemical, biological, social, psychosocial, and aesthetic factors of our environment.

The International Labour Organization concurs with this definition, stating that health as applied to the work environment is understood as a form of physical organization of work that either promotes the well-being of the individual in the workplace or eliminates any risk of physical and/or mental harm to the ^individual2.
Furthermore, environmental and occupational factors are increasingly suspected of playing a role in the onset of certain diseases.

The Directorate of Environmental and Occupational Health (DSET) oversees all of Santé publique France’s missions in the fields of environmental health and occupational health. The hazards encountered by populations in general and occupational environments can be similar. A better understanding of the impact of these hazards must take into account the cumulative effects of general and occupational environments. Pooling expertise and know-how within the DSET enables a more effective response to public health challenges related to environmental and occupational determinants of health.
To this end, the DSET ensures, coordinates, and supports the development of surveillance programs for diseases (e.g., the national mandatory reporting system for mesotheliomas) or exposures (e.g., biomonitoring of occupational and/or environmental exposures); it organizes general surveillance systems using a population-based approach (monitoring of large cohorts such as COSET, Epinano, etc.); it receives and processes reports and requests submitted to it, establishes alert and response mechanisms, and conducts scientific monitoring in its areas of expertise. It also participates in training and informing various audiences, and its activities are closely linked to research, particularly through collaborations with teams working in the fields of environmental health and occupational health.
The ultimate goal of its actions is to provide useful knowledge to inform policymakers responsible for public policies aimed at improving people’s living conditions—including those at work—and to prevent risks associated with environmental or occupational exposures.

The DSET has a staff of approximately 70 people with diverse educational backgrounds and professional backgrounds (epidemiologists, physicians, pharmacists, industrial hygienists, engineers).

To carry out all of its activities, the DSET has developed numerous scientific partnerships and European and international collaborations.

¹WHO Declaration of Helsinki on Environment and Health, Helsinki, June 20–22, 1994 http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/113326/Helsinki-Declaration-Action-Environment-Health-in-Europe-fr.pdf?ua=1
² ILO, SOLVE: Integrating health promotion into occupational safety and health policies. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---protrav/---safework/documents/instructionalmaterial/wcms_205085.pdf